PNW Nationals Wrap: 15 more Prospects!

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 USAV GJNC has come to a close, and the Club season is over! I hope everyone is ready for tryouts next week! It's tome to take a closer look at some of the teams and players who stood out in Chicago on the final two days, covering players we did not see on day 1 and 2. With 20+ Pacific Northwest teams in action, the Upper Left had serious representation at the final national championship of the indoor club season. Let the summer begin!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='260128' first='Hailey' last='McEllrath'], Athena 17</strong> The Athena Gold team rolled in the championship match of the American Division, taking down Arizona Storm 17 in two. MccEllrath is another ferocious Athena middle, she can score from the seam and puts up a big block for her defenders playing in the back row. Libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='126033' first='Maile' last='Chan']</strong> had a tough lefty serve working and she was keeping the energy high for everyone on and off the court. Big Congrats to the team for taking home a title at Nationals!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='250405' first='Heather' last='Barbee'], CRU 16 Baden </strong>The CRU libero has been on a roll, she had a great tournament at the Emerald City Classic and continued her excellent play in Chicago. Barbee has a sense for balls that are headed out, she rarely misses when she makes a decision. Her second ball setting has been developing this season, she was showing great technique and control in the match today with Spiral. Middle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='250406' first='Kailey' last='Willsey'] </strong>has added some depth to her offensive game, she is swinging hard running the slide in transition, but drops in a soft tip to keep defenses honest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='207444' first='Lauren' last='Wiese'] and [player_tooltip player_id='249332' first='Juleah' last='Leapai'], SIVBC 16 Thunder</strong> Wiese is a powerful middle who dominated the front line at times in a match versus CYVBC Surge. Her blocking was tremendous and she plays the ball well defensively too. Leapai will make her attackers stay on point, she reads the defense and finds the best matchups, players had better be ready to swing out of the pipe or when running a route behind the 2026 setter. Leapai is poised for a big year for Bellevue. How about one more SIVBC standout? <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='397927' first='Sophie' last='Joy Ella Lobet']</strong> played all out in the libero spot for the Thunder squad. She made some crazy digs on swings that seemed to be sure kills. The Mt. Si 2024 plays with great energy and a passion for the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226455' first='Grace' last='Jones'], SNVF 17 White. </strong>Jones is a player that should be getting looks from college programs, the 2024 setter is quick to the ball, willing to reverse the flow, and plays great defense. She was on point with some great dumps to score against CSA 17 Navy. In the same match, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='285605' first='Hannah' last='Jeanne Johnson']</strong> posted a monster block to get the momentum rolling, then <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='180923' first='Mariyah' last='Young']</strong> followed up with the hammer off the block from the outside. SNVF has been a fun team to watch all season with players willing to let it rip.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rylee Booth and [player_tooltip player_id='446891' first='Aimee' last='Brester'], Seattle Juniors 1</strong>7. Brester has soft hands, and as a setter plays with a calm, positive attitude. She has a huge smile for her teammates when they make a play. Brester can do a bit of everything too, she turned on a second ball and took a strong swing against LEVBC U17. Booth plays with bounce and an urgency to her game, she was driving the ball hard line from the outside. Each time I watch <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='369424' first='Victoria' last='Plumb']</strong> at the libero spot I see good things, she gets in tight to cover for her hitters and has great hands that let her react and poke up a ball at the last second.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='253254' first='Annika' last='Wright'] and [player_tooltip player_id='226013' first='Aly' last='Skagen'], NPJ Seattle 16 </strong>The NPJ squad has been competitive at national tournaments all season long, they posted a 5-5 record in the National Division, winning 4 of their last 5 matches. Wright is silky smooth as a setter, she has an effortless delivery and holds the block to help the offense. Skagen took big swings out of the pipe in the final match of the day against L2 161, moving it around the court to score. She has the snap on her swing to get pace on an attack from almost any angle or set location.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->